originally posted by: JadeStar
This is not fusion. That article is very misleading but about what I expect from MSM science stories sadly.

if there were neutrons ( i think
the article said there were) then it is fusion. but fusion is easy. its fusion above break even or near break even that is hard. this kid will not be
breaking even. sadly.

anyone can do fusion. you can go get an old tv set and get most of what you need to do fusion out of it. real fusion. but not useful fusion.

EDIT: let me amend that to say that this sort of set up derived from the farnsworth fusor is in fact useful as a neutron source. they are used
commercially for that purpose.

EDIT: also i think it would be displayed in the hardware section and not next to the pickles

Yes, the corrected version of the article now states he used a neutron detector, not a neutrino detector as it said before.

I like the part where he says he wants to make a handheld laser cutter. It just sounds like the kind of destructive power that boys like to dream of.
Rather than the musings of a prodigy. Sure, he's probably smarter than me, whatever. But that's not really saying much, now, is it?

originally posted by: Mogget
If his detection of neutrons was confirmed, then this story would be headline news around the world. So where is it?

no it won't. he is far from the first to detect neutrons from fusion in a home made device. as i said before; the Farnsworth Fusor or a variant of it
has been made by many a man or lad. and they do make neutrons when constructed properly. its just that the number of fusing nuclei will never be large
enough to achieve break even. it's an interesting device and it has been replicated many times. there are still efforts to get a variant fusor design
that can achieve break even. many of the current commercial fusion contenders are descended from the fusor lineage. But all of these advanced fusor
derived designs are far more complicated that the original fusor design where as most home hobbyist designs are still pretty much what Farnsworth
did.

Current serious fusion devices based on the Fusor are being built. One such Fusor derivative is the Polywell.

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